Window controller



Feb. 3, 1931. J. H. ROETHEL 1,791,147

WINDOW CONTROLLER Filed Feb; 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l W H dNVEfETOR BY A TTORNEY Feb. 3, 1931. J. H. ROETHEL 1,791,147

WINDOW CONTROLLER Filed Feb. 21. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTO/(NE Y Patented Feb. 3, 1931' 1 791,147 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. ROETHEL, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK WINDOW CONTROLLER Application filed February 21, 1929. Serial No. 841,605.

The invention relates to window controllers Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4 -4 of for vertically sliding panes or sashes such Fig. 2; as those of automobile bodies. The object is Fig. is a section taken on the line 5-5 to provide a simple, effective and convenient of Fig. 3; and 6 mechanism, and more especially. to provide Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 55 a controller by which the window will be of Fig. 3. i raised automatically by a spring and can be The door 2 or other-portion of the body has locked or firmly held at any point. The 0b a vertically sliding pane 3. The controller ject is, also, to provide the controller with 4 is located within the thickness of the panel clutch means which is capable of either lockor body enclosure, which has inner and outer 60 ing the controller mechanism or of holding it walls 5 and 6, the controller being secured non-positively in'any position, the latter for to the inner side of the wall 5. As illustrated the purpose of keeping the window in po iin Fig. 4, the controller includes a fixed plate tion momentarily before the clutch is locked, 7 which is supported from this wall by studs and which can be released to permit the win- 8 and scr ws 9.

dow to rise under the action of the spring. Secured to the inner side of this plate is When the clutch is in the non-positive holda spring case 10 containing a coiled windowing condition, the window can be lowered r i ing spring 11, one end of the s ring being and will be sufficiently held again t th a connected to a ratchet wheel 12, W ich is held tion of the spring and of the vibration of by a dog 13. 70 the car while the operator shifts his hand The otherend o e sp i g 11 is'attached from the pane to the locking and unlocking o a shaft 14, which passes through an open handle of the clutch. This handle is movable g in the Plate 7 and has a controller arm between a position in which the clutch is 1 x t0 i Outer end- The extremity of l k d or firmly held to a position in which, this arm carries a grooved roller 16, which 75 the clutch isfree, and between these posiacts gainst the bottom of the pane 3, being tions there is an intermediate position in p e e ably engagedin aslotted member 17 which he clutch is not locked butis applied A180 fixed t0 the Sh ft 14:, or o he conby yielding spring pressure. Th lut h introller arm 15, is a slotted segment 18. This eludes an element adapted to engage nonpart, or its equivalent, may be operatively- 30 positively with an extended series of re e s connected with the controller arm either diin a segment, plate or slide connected with ly indirectly, but a segment which the controller, so as to insure that the window turns about the e i s h roller will be supported .with sufiicient security for arm 15 preferred Its slmphcitytemporary purposes before the clutch is fully A Clutch h 18 r g to heal g p 85 applied or locked. Whenthe clutch is locked, e Outer f e of hls segment, a fr ctlonv this element becomes a positive locking ele- Washer facing 20 helng p ef rably Interpplsed between the head and the segment. In the accompanying drawings, forming c said head has a stem 21 of square or part hereof: other suitable form to keep it from turning o Fig. 1 is an elevation of a door or panel i a h le in the plate 7, the Stem passing of an automobile body with its window through this holev and through the slot 22 raised, the view being taken looking at the of the segment. 2 outside, with a portion of the outer wall At the inner side of the plate 7 the stem broken away to show the controller; 20 is fixed toa hollow part 23 having aflange 95 Fig. 2 is an elevation looking at the op 24: which is slidably guided in a tube 25, the posite side of the controller, the window, a latter being fixed to the said plate and proportion of which is seen, being lowered; jecting through an opening in the wall 5.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 A helical spring 26 is confined between of Fig. 2; 1 the flange 24 and the plate 7 and acts to press 103 *ment.

the head 19 against the segment 18 and the latter in turn against the plate 7.

An extended series of curved depressions 27 is formed in the face of the segment, and

the face of the clutch head 19 has a recess which holds a ball 28 adapted to ride in and out of said depressions.

An operating lever or finger 29 is pivoted at 30 in the. inner end of the tube 25, outside the wall 5, this lever being pivoted at 31 to a pitman 32. This pitman extends within the hollow part 23, where it carries a cross-piece 33, which works in slotted or enlarged openings 34: in opposite sides of the said hollow part.

The outer end of the tube 25 is covered by a dome 35 screwed onto the tube, the dome having a slot 36 through which the lever 29 projects.

The relation between the centers of the pivots 30 and 31 is such that when the lever 29 is moved to one end of the slot 36, where it finds an abutment, the center of the pivot 31 is carried slightly past the line through the center of the pivot 30 and the center of bearing of the cross-piece (or pivot) 33 against the inner ends of the slots 25 in the part 23. Consequently the clutch head 19 is locked or clamped against the segment 18, which is sustained against the late 7 This is the condition illustrated in ig. 3, and in this condition the window can move neither up nor down. The ball 28, or its equivalent, engaging one of the depressions 27 contributes materially to the security of the lockwill" ermit the occupant to lower the window y pulling down on a lip 3? on the upper part of the pane, the ball 28 then riding into and out of the depressions 27 This position of the lever may be termed a neutral position. When the window has been lowered to the desired point, the occuant takes his hand off the pane and manipuates the lever 29 to lock the clutch. The plan of the device is such that one-hand operation sutfices, the window being held tem-' porarily by the non-positive holding means until the lock is applied.

When the lever'is turned up toward its uppermost position, it advances the pitman until the lost-motion in the slots 25 is taken up, after which the clutch is shifted sufliciently to free the segment 18 altogether. Thereupon, the spring 11 operates to raise the window automatically. The upward movement of the pane can be stopped at any point and the lock applied by simply pressing down on the lever.

While a preferred and simple embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made without departing from the essential novelty pointed out in the claims. 7

What is claimed as new is:

1. A window-controller of the kind-described comprising a window-raising spring, mechanism including a controller arm acted on by said spring, and a device'cooperative with said mechanism comprising both a lock and a non-positive holding means, each operative at any position of the window to keep the window from rising, said device being operable to bring about release of the lock alone or of both the lock and the non-positive holding means, and re-application of the lock, at will.

2. A window-controller of the kind described comprising a window-raising spring, mechanism including a controller arm acted on by said spring, and a device cooperative with said mechanism comprising both a lock and a non-positive holding means, each operative at any position of the window to keep the window from rising, and a single operating member by which the device is operable to bring about release of the lock alone or of both the lock and the non-positive holding means, and re-application of the lock, at will.

3. A window-controller of the kind described comprising a window-raising spring, mechanism including a controller arm acted on by said spring, a lock and a non-positive holding means, each cooperative with said mechanism at any position of the window to keep the window from rising, and means for releasing said lock only so that said mechanism will be restrained by said non-positive holding means at any position to which the window may be lowered, whereupon the lock can be reapplied, and for freeing the mechanism to permit the spring to raise the window automatically. f

4. A window-controller of the kind described comprising a window-raising spring, a controller arm through which said spring acts, a segment connected with said arm, a clutch cooperative with said segment, resilient means for applying pressure to said clutch, and means including a manipulating device operable at will to hold said clutch against yielding, to release the clutch partially so that the window can be lowered to any position, whereupon the clutch automatilating a clutch cooperative with said segment, said clutch includinganelement adapted for nonpositive holding engagement with said recesses, resilient means for applying pressure to said' clutch, and means including a manipu- 1 device operable at will to hold said c ute to any position, whereupon itis held automatically and non-positively by said resilient means and said element against the action of the window-raising spring, and to release I I the clutch fully so that said spring will auto- -matica1ly raise the window.

-6. A- window-controller of the kinddescribed comprising a window-raising spring, a controller arm through which'said spring acts,-a segment connected with said arm and provided with an extended series of recesses, a clutch cooperative with said segment, said clutch including a ball adapted for non-positive holding engagement with said recesses,

resilient means for applying pressure to said clutch, and means includin a manipulating device operable at will to hold said clutch agalnst yielding, to. release the clutch partially so that the window can be lowered to any position, to be held temporarily by said resilient means and said ball, and to release the clutch fullylso that said spring will automatically raise the window. 7 A window-controller of. the kind described comprising a window-raising spring, a controller arm through which said spring acts, a segment connected with said arm and provided with an extended series of recesses, a clutch cooperativewith said segment. said clutch deviceincluding an element adapted for either positive or non-positive engagement" 'with said recesses depending upon the condition of the clutch device, resilient means for applyin pressure to {said clutch, and means inclu ing a manipulating device operable at will to hold said clutchagainst yield-- 'ing, to release the clutch partially so that the window can be lowered to any position, to be held temporarily by said resilient meansand said element, and to release the clutch fully so that said spring will automatically raise the window.

8. A window-controller of the kind described, comprising a window-raising spring, a controller arm through which said spring acts, a segment'connected with said arm, a clutch cooperative with said segment, resil ient means for applying pressure to said A clutch, and a self-locking operating device movable between a position in which it looks the clutch and a position in which it moves the clutch-to a free condition against the action of said resilient means, said operating device having a lost-motion connection with the clutch whereb in an intermediate position of the device te clutch is yieldingly applied by the action of said resilient means.

against yielding, to release the clutch partially so that the window can be lowered 9. A window-controller of the kind described, comprising a window-raising spring,

in the opposite direction toor through a neu-' tral position, in which the clutch is yieldingly applied by said resilient means, to a position in which the lever moves the clutch to a free condition. Q

10. A window-controller of the kind described, comprising a window-raising spring,

a controller arm through which said spring acts, a segment connected with said arm and provided with an extended series of recesses a clutch cooperative with said segment, sai clutch including an element adapted for nonpositive holding engagement with said recesses, resilient means'fo'r applying pressure to'saidclutch, and a self-locking operating device movable between a position in which it locks the clutch and a position in which it moves the clutch to a free condition against the action of said resilient means, said operating device having'a lost-motion connection with the clutch whereby in an intermediate position of the device the clutch 1s yieldingly applied by the action of said P0511181. means.

11. A window-controller of the k1nd described, comprising a window-raising spring,

-a controller arm through which said sprlng acts, a segment connected with said arm, a fixed plate contiguous said segment, a clutch having a head to bear against the face of sald segment and a part at the opposite s1de of the plate connected with said head, a sprang acting on said part to press the head against the segment, and a self-locking operatlng lever in operative relation to said part.

, 12. A window-controller of the kind described, comprising a window-raising spring,

a controller arm'through which said spring acts, a segment connected with said arm, a

fixed plate contiguous said segment, a clutch having a head to bear against the face ofsaid segment and a part at the opposite s1de of the plate connected with said head, a sprlng acting on said part to press the head against the segment, a self-locking operating lever,

and means of lost-motion connection between said lever and said part whereby the lever is operable either to lock'the clutch or to move it to free position with an intermediate condition in which the clutch is yieldingly appliedto the segment by said resilient means.

13. In: a window-controller, a controller arm, a spring connected" therewith, a slotted segment connected with the arm and providedwith an extended series of recesses, a, fixed plate contiguous said segment, a clutch having a head to bear against the face of the clutch and a part at the opposite side of said plate connected with said head through the slot in the segment, a spring acting on said part, a ball in said head to coa'ct with said recesses, and an operating lever in operative relation to said part.

JOHNEL RO ETHEL. 

